Flow cell having a housing component

Abstract

A microfluidic flow cell for carrying out an analysis, having a substrate of synthetic material, which has cavities for the formation of channel structures and chambers, wherein the cavities are closed on one side of the substrate by a film adhesively bonded or welded to the substrate, and having a housing component that is produced with a hard and a soft component, which, on the side of the substrate facing away from the film, is connected to the substrate, completing functional sections respectively fulfilling the function of the flow cell. The housing component is formed as a multifunctional part completing more than two functional sections.

The invention claimed is: 
     
       1. A microfluidic flow cell for carrying out an analysis, comprising:
 a predetermined breaking barrier; 
 a plastic plate having cavities for forming channels and chambers; 
 a film adhesively bonded or welded to the plastic plate-so as to close the cavities on a first face of the plastic plate; and 
 a plate shaped injection molded composite housing consisting of a rigid hard component and a deformable soft component, wherein 
 the plate shaped composite housing is connected to a second face of the plastic plate facing away from the first face by welding, riveting or adhesive bonding, the deformable soft component comprising a plurality of elastically deformable soft component sections, wherein 
 the plate shaped injection molded composite housing is configured to complement functional sections of the flow cell that each fulfill a function of the flow cell and is configured as a multifunctional part that complements more than two functional sections of the flow cell in a single joining process, and wherein 
 the rigid hard component of the plate shaped injection molded composite housing complements a storage chamber as a functional section of the flow cell, and wherein 
 one of the functional sections is a device for breaking the predetermined breaking barrier, the device including a section of the deformable soft component of the plate shaped injection molded composite housing that is externally deformable, wherein 
 a membrane is part of the deformable soft component of the plate shaped injection molded composite housing and is an elastomer material welded fluid-tightly to the plastic plate, the membrane capable of being stretchable by an actuation element of an operating instrument into a through-opening in the plastic plate so as to deflect the film adhesively bonded or welded to the plastic plate so that the predetermined breaking barrier breaks wherein the predetermined breaking barrier is an apex of a prismatic barrier member of the plastic plate to which the film is adhesively bonded or welded, and wherein 
 the membrane is arranged at a distance from the film and the through-opening is between the membrane and the film. 
 
     
     
       2. The flow cell according to  claim 1 , further comprising a tiltable closure element, wherein the plate shaped injection molded composite housing is connected in one piece to the tiltable closure element. 
     
     
       3. The flow cell according to  claim 2 , wherein the tiltable closure element is retainable in a closed position. 
     
     
       4. The flow cell according to  claim 1 , wherein the soft constituent sections comprise an elastomer material. 
     
     
       5. The flow cell according to  claim 1 , wherein the soft constituent sections comprise at least partially transparent soft constituent sections. 
     
     
       6. The flow cell according to  claim 1 , wherein the soft constituent sections comprise soft constituent sections locally welded or adhesively bonded to the substrate. 
     
     
       7. The flow cell according to  claim 1 , wherein the predetermined breaking barrier is arranged in a feed and discharge channel so as to close the storage chamber. 
     
     
       8. The flow cell according to  claim 1 , wherein the soft component section comprises an outwardly curved or outwardly curvable membrane. 
     
     
       9. The flow cell according to  claim 1 , wherein one of the functional sections is a septum that comprises a section of the deformable soft component of the plate shaped injection molded composite housing that can be pierced with a cannula. 
     
     
       10. The flow cell according to  claim 1 , wherein one of the functional sections is a valve device that comprises a section of the soft component of the housing that is resiliently deformable from outside while closing a valve opening. 
     
     
       11. The flow cell according to  claim 1 , wherein one of the functional sections is a gas cushion that comprises a section of the soft component of the plate shaped injection molded composite housing that is deformable by an internal pressure in the flow cell while changing a volume of the gas cushion.